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Savannah woman pleads guilty in federal nutrition-benefits scam

A Savannah woman on Wednesday pleaded guilty to stealing more than $1 million in federal funds in a scheme that netted more than $6 million in food stamps and nutrition-assistance benefits.Two co-defendants, Allen’s mother and a friend, also entered guilty pleas to charges in the scheme that First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Durham said occurred at 13 “stores” in Savannah and other Georgia cities.Litricia Allen, 37, admitted to U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. to theft of federal funds in the scheme. Also pleading guilty Wednesday were Jewell Allen, 57, of Atlanta, and Petrina Barge, 41, of Decatur. Both pleaded to the conspiracy charge, but waived prosecution by indictment and acted under an information filed by the government.Earlier, Sabrina Sesberry, 38, and her husband, Rupert Jones, 34, both of Atlanta, entered guilty pleas in the case.All remain free pending sentencing.Litricia Allen and six Atlanta-area residents were charged in April in the scheme to use 13 storefront operations in various Georgia cities to illegally traffic in the benefits in exchange for cash or as payments for non-authorized items.Included in the cites were Baby’s Castle Corp., 3550 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Babies First #4, 1701 Burroughs St., and Babies First Two Corp., 2014 Delesseps Ave., the indictment charged. The scheme occurred between February 2009 and June 2011 in Savannah, Atlanta, Augusta, and other Georgia cities, the government charged.The participants converted Supplemental Assistance Program, formerly know as the Food Stamp Program and Georgia women, Infant and Children (WIC) program funds to cash, the government charged.